Instead, I’ll recap on my second REFIT RECON experience. RECON is our annual National REFIT Convention for instructors. This year was only the second one that has been held and my second to attend.

Last year, as I’ve mentioned before, I walked in not knowing anyone nor having anyone who knew who I was.

Fast forward to this year. What a difference a year can make!

This year I walked in with hundreds of friends and nine of those from Fort Worth. Two of the nine received certifications with me last year, but the others are from the classes I’ve held since January of this year. One of those being my very special friend and new business partner for the next phase of our REFIT® life, Studio 4 the Willing! To experience RECON with them was a heart-filler, for sure.

However, let me tell you what was the ultimate heart-filler. It started when checking into the hotel. As soon as I walked in I had ladies coming up, calling me by name and introducing themselves. Yes, I recognized faces (thank God for Facebook) and I knew names, but to be greeted in such a way was just a small hint of what was to come.

This year everywhere I went, every day, during every break and in every class I had people coming up to me. Not only did they know my name, many said they had been looking for me. They wanted to let me know of something I had said, some way I had responded to them or something I had posted and how it touched them, made a difference in their REFIT® lives or on a personal level. I took photos with them, talked with them, listened to them, prayed with them and all while in a dream-state of awe. This happened All. Weekend. Long.

Every single time someone else ran to me or called my name from across a room or hallway so they could speak to me, I was humbled beyond what that word means on this earth. I cannot even begin to explain the way each and every person touched me that weekend. I heard things from them that I had said or done that I had completely forgotten about – but they didn’t. It made the phrase of what I preach to my participants more real than ever. “You may never know how what you say or do can touch another’s life.” I found out this past weekend just how true that statement is!

The icing on the cake came during the event’s opening ceremony. I was sitting there enjoying the fun, the dancing and the videos when the founders mentioned it was time for some instructor Shout Out Awards. I was cheering on the ones announced when the next one up was for The Newcomer of the Year award.

When Angela began with the words, “This is the person who got certified and probably quicker than any other instructor that we have ever seen had classes, had a marketing kit…” I was thinking, “Wow, I want to know who this person is” and sat there waiting to hear the name. Then she said, “…and it’s only been her year anniversary, she’s only been doing this for a year” suddenly I had a brief thought of “Is she talking about me???” Before she announced the recipient she asked if anyone had any guesses as to who it might be. I was blown away to hear the entire room of hundreds in unison shout my name. Talk about shocked and honored. I tear up EVERY SINGLE TIME I replay it in my head. All of this just doing what I do from my heart. I am just being me, not for any recognition. My area of motivation is the power of influence – to influence others. Nothing more.

Here’s what I left with. More than a year ago after visiting the studio for the first time having never known anything about REFIT® or the founders and telling my sweet, understanding, very supportive and protective husband how I felt as if I belonged and would be an important part of REFIT®, he gave me some sound advice. That advice has stuck with me all of this time. He did not mean it in a negative or derogatory way at all, but rather as a way to protect my heart.

He said, “Debbi, just remember that you are one of hundreds or thousands (we had no idea how many there were at that point) of instructors. You are basically just a number so prepare yourself.” Like I said, even though as I type that it sounds as if he was being a David-Downer, that was not his intention nor his heart and I knew that. He was only trying to protect my heart.

But yet those words have stayed with me.

Until last weekend. I left that place feeling valued.

Leaving RECON and hearing from so many who called me by name, who shared how I’ve impacted them, who asked for tips, prayer, photos, I can honestly say…

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